Lawsuit: Apple lied about iPhone X screen size, pixel count

By

Allen Cone

The iPhone X is displayed at the Apple store Omotesando in Tokyo, Japan on November 3, 2017. A lawsuit alleges Apple is lying about its iPhone X series' screen size and pixel count. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Apple is accused of lying about its iPhone X series' screen size and pixel count, according to a lawsuit.'

In the suit filed Friday in U.S. District Court of Northern California, two plaintiffs are seeking class-action status, alleging Apple falsely advertised specifications in its iPhone X, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max devices.

Apple didn't respond to a request for comment by Cnet on the suit filed Friday.

According to the 55-page lawsuit, Apple uses non-screen areas like the notch and corners in advertising the screen sizes. The latest versions of the iPhones aren't "all screen" as marketed.

The resolution is listed as 2436x1125 pixels but in actuality it is about 10 percent less at 2195 x 1125, according to the lawsuit.

The products don't contain true pixels with red, green and blue subpixels in each pixel and instead are "fake" ones, according to the complaint. Instead Apple allegedly uses a "pentile" structure where five subpixels are arranged in a diamond shape.

Also, the iPhone X allegedly only has two subpixels per pixel, which is less than advertised, according to the complaint said. In fact an older model, the iPhone 8 Plus, has a higher-quality screen than iPhone X.

The specification sheet of any iPhone explains dimensions, including whether it has a notch. For the screen size, Apple has this caveat: "when measured as a standard rectangle shape, the screen is 5.85 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less)."

In March,customers sued the company in 59 separate lawsuits over a software tweak that lowers some older iPhones' speed. And in June, plaintiffs sued Apple for $5 million in damages over the screen of Apple Watch's tendency to "crack, shatter or detach from the body of the watch."